5'3in~129lbs~2 C/Sections and Ventral Hernia...

Has anyone every changed PS? I guess I prematurely...

30 Mar 2012

28 days pre

Has anyone every changed PS? I guess I prematurely scheduled my TT Surgery without interviewing all the Doc's I selected...Well it turns out, I loved the last Doc the Best...Bad Part is she is soo booked so now I have to wait until May. I hope I dont chicken out before then.

Ok...Crazy I know....Back to the original Surgeon....

2 Apr 2012

25 days pre

Ok...Crazy I know....Back to the original Surgeon...Cannot wait until May~I'm not patient! Scheduled for a TT on 4/27/12....!

I'm 38 years old. I'm 5ft 3in and weigh 130lbs. I...

28 Apr 2012

1 day post

I'm 38 years old. I'm 5ft 3in and weigh 130lbs. I had 2 C/Sections and a previous Ventral Hernia Repair with Mesh...Have to say....The TT takes the cake in Pain! Who would even compare this to a C/S? O~M~G....I have the On~Q Pain Buster, Taking 2 Percocets every 4 Hours and Toradol every 8 hours. I could not imagine going through this surgery without the On~Q Pain Pump. The PS in this area dont use them? I had a hard time finding a Doc that would use one. It took them 2 weeks to tell me how much they would charge me for it? ($395).
The incision line doesnt hurt at all. All my pain is "high" on my abdomen~an extremely tight "deep pull" feeling. My 2 Recovery Room Nurses sucked. They made 2 inapropriate comments to me. They were "young" nurses and missed the boat on being a patient advocate. I plan on reporting them on Monday. I took a lot of IV Pain meds yesterday Post-op. (Fentanyl and Dilaudid)...I had a hard time Peeing afterwards. In fact, I didnt empty my bladder for 24 hours. (A very common side-effect post anesthesia/IV Narcs) I thought I was going to have to go back in to get Straight Cathed, but Thank the Good Lord, I peed. My bladder is slowly rebounding. I feel drowsy today (nodding off often), probably sleeping- off the anesthesia. I havent seen my belly yet? I havent taken the Binder off yet. My PS didnt talk to me in Recovery? He talked to my husband. Gonna try to get a modified shower this evening. My appetite is slowly coming back today too. Last night I was nauseated but never vomited. I'm a RN and my hubby is a RN too. I've been trying to walk around the house as much as I can, especially with bathroom trips. My Kids are 8 (Justin) and 5(Bella) so they are pretty self-sufficient. They assisted my hubby(Joe) with Drain Care last night! HaHa...Between the "Oh's" and "Awe's", I'm not sure if they liked it or not! I'm not wild about my PS but I do think he's a great surgeon. He's the type that doesnt want to hear any complaints/questions. Hey, if he gives me the "results" I want, that works for me! After interviewing 4 PS in the Pittsburgh area, I have to say~I didnt think the choices were all that great? Again, nurses are tough patients to please. I'm hoping I can wear a Bikini this summer. I'm soo over Tankini's and Spanx. Thanks for listening and I hoped I helped someone out there:) Love, Amy ..PS: Please note, this was the Total Cost including the On~Q and the Cosmetic Health Insurance Premium.

Ooops April 28th 2012....Post-op day #1

28 Apr 2012

1 day post

Ooops April 28th 2012....Post-op day #1

April 29th 2012...Post-op day #2
Hi everyone.....

29 Apr 2012

2 days post

April 29th 2012...Post-op day #2
Hi everyone...The pain is worse today than yesterday? I feel like the pain pills are not working? The Pain is everywhere~my back, the incision site, the belly button pulling~etc. I'm moving around a lot better today...maybe that's why I'm having more pain? I'm not as sleepy as yesterday either. I see the PS in the morning. I did have a BM today without any problems. The Dulcolax certainly made that easier. The Binder is so tight and uncomfortable, but it feels worse to have my abdomen open to air/unsecured. The PS told me to put Maxi-Pads under the Binder. There is very little drainage. The incision looks good, a little bruising. The Binder keeps "riding" up on me. Suprisingly the drains are not problematic for me? I thought they would be more annoying and cumbersome, but they're not. Also, the On~Q Pain Pump wires are tolerable too. I'm hoping I wake up tomorrow feeling a lot better than I do today. God Bless Everyone, Amy

April 30th 2012....Post-op Day #3
Saw the PS...

30 Apr 2012

3 days post

April 30th 2012....Post-op Day #3
Saw the PS today (briefly as he's in and out before you can open your mouth)..He said everything looked good~He told me I was 1 of his top 5 patients? I'm still draining way too much to have the Drains removed. (About a total of 150-200cc in 24 hours). I go back on Wednesday May 2nd to hopefuly get them out in addition to removing my pain pump. He said he likes to remove the Pain Pump himself.. I told him I'm having bilateral "Flank" Pain. He said it could be from the Surgery or it can be a Kidney Infection? I did not spike a Fever, Thank God. No burning with urination either.Also, theres a particular spot on my abdomen (upper left quadrant) that's really uncomfortable~constant burning if you will. He said its probably the tubing from the Drain..If that's the case, I cant wait for it to be removed! The Drainage Tubes havent really bothered me? I'm still very uncomfortable overall. Today, he prescribed me Vicoden ES rather than Percocet. I honestly dont think either one is helping. When you are cut from Hip to Hip, nothing is gonna take away the pain. I got a little discouraged last evening thinking why did I do this? It was so unneccessary?! I'm sure these feelings are quite normal. I was just bummed that nothing was taking away this pain. I came home from the PS office today and took a long nap. Our bodies have been so violated and traumatized. Dont forget proper nutrition and rest:) I know us Mommys are Rock Stars, but we must "give in" to our healing temples:)...May God Bless you all Richly, Love~Amy

May 1st...2012...Post-op Day #4
Hello to all. I...

1 May 2012

4 days post

May 1st...2012...Post-op Day #4
Hello to all. I wish I can type you and say "Yes" I feel great today! But I cant...not yet....I have this continual agitating pain in my upper left quadrant of my belly. As I mentioned yesterday, the PS thinks its one of my drainage tubes "coiling" up there. I pray I will feel on top of the world when it comes out. I'm still draining, draining , draining so I'm not sure they will be removed tomorrow @ my appointment. I'm groggy in the mornings, feel like I could sleep-in but as the day moves on, I feel much more energy. I hope my Review helps someone:)

May 7th....Post-op Day #10
I still have both of...

7 May 2012

10 days post

May 7th....Post-op Day #10
I still have both of my drains in. The Right one is draining 30-45 cc per day and the Left one is draining 15-35 cc. I'm hoping to get the Left one removed tomorrow. The insertion sites in my groin area are so red and sore. Not to mention, the constant discomfort in my upper abdomen thats been there all along. I felt like I "turned the corner" at the 1 week~7 day mark. At that time I felt like I would do this all over again! Crazy I know. Still on Pain meds every 4 hours around the clock. The pain meds really dont help with the pain. It feels like constant needles in my belly button. I'm not swollen and I hope I dont become swollen once the drains are removed....

May 8th.....Post-op Day #11
YAY:):):)...............

8 May 2012

11 days post

May 8th.....Post-op Day #11
YAY:):):)....................................................I feel like my good ole self today! I have energy and am able to get some small things done around the house without feeling fatigued or in pain. I got my Right Drain out today....Wow~What a relief...It did not hurt or burn at all. It feels so freeing. I can feel less "spaghetti" in my belly. My groin area instantly feels better too! The Nurse at my PS office said I looked swollen? I dont feel swollen at all. She said it could take 3-4 months for the swelling to subside. That is encouraging because I feel like I look decent now? Keep you posted.

May 11th......2 week Post-OP
Ok..so I still have...

11 May 2012

14 days post

May 11th......2 week Post-OP
Ok..so I still have the Left groin drain. Still draining around 50cc per day. Some clots and stringy material noted:(....My BB feels like a needle is poking in it...I'm still on Narcotics. My PCP sent me for Bloodwork and Abdominal X-Ray yesterday. I have chronic anemia so she wanted to make sure my counts were normal, which they were~Praise the Lord. The X-Ray was normal too. The incision "burns". It does "pucker" at the very bottom but I noticed my incision is not real wide, which is good. I've seen a lot of photos where the incision line comes half-way around the waist. Mine does not, it ends "before" my hip bones. I feel good otherwise. I have energy and feel like myself. I dont feel like I had major surgery 2 weeks ago! XO

May 16th....19 Day Post-OP
A few new events...

16 May 2012

19 days post

May 16th....19 Day Post-OP
A few new events happened today. I got my 2nd Drain out. It was draining about 28cc per 24 hours. Boy, she had a heck of time pulling the JP out, it got "caught" a couple of times on its way out of me. Thank the Lord It didnt hurt. She also removed my 5 stiches around my BB. Again, that didnt hurt either, I guess because my entire BB area is numb? The PA really liked the look of my BB~she took a photo of it:) I guess they were proud! Doc was in and out in 15 seconds~very typical. The PA assessed me and told me I'm about 30% swollen which is very normal. I managed to get in 1 Brief question for the Doc (he doesnt like to answer questions), asking him how long will the swelling take to decrease? His response was 3-4 months. They gave me my garment to wear 24/7~wow is this thing tight! I can barely breathe. Also, they recommend I massage my incision with plain old Vaseline. My Instructions were no exercising, running the vacum~etc. for 1 month from my surgery date. My Doc recommends plain old tape for the incision. They feel that works best along with "Time"...I guess Time heals all wounds:)....I went back to work today! I work Part-Time, sitting at a desk. Yes~I was very proud of myself cause I went back to work with a drain! It felt good going back. That's all for now...Dieing to buy a Bikini but being this swollen, its discouraging. Thinking back, I should have had this surgery done in September so I would be "ready" for Summer:)........Any comments or Suggestions are always Welcome:)

May 18th....3 weeks Post-OP
Ok...So I'm taking a...

20 May 2012

23 days post

May 18th....3 weeks Post-OP
Ok...So I'm taking a step backward:( ....I'm in a lot of discomfort today. I think my BB is infected since the BB stiches were removed 2 days ago. I spiked a low temp 99.9 ...Theres a small spot inside my BB that appears to be "open" and pus/red/swollen and hot. I contacted the Surgeon and he put me on Keflex 4X per day and Vicodin ES for the pain. He thinks it may be a Seroma and wants to see me on Monday the 21st. I'm so discouraged because my Belly is so swollen. I "feel" like I do have a Seroma because when I push down one 1 side of my lower belly, it "ripples" through the rest of my belly like a wave. I've read on here thats what a Seroma looks like. So the swimming pools open next week and I guess I will still be in my Tankini:( ...I will keep you posted on what intervention the Surgeon does tomorrow:( ...Anyone else develop a Seroma when the drain came out 3 weeks post-op?

5/21/02.....Little over 3 weeks
Saw the Surgeon...

21 May 2012

24 days post

5/21/02.....Little over 3 weeks
Saw the Surgeon today~Great News~I do not have a Seroma! Wow~You could have fooled me. When you press on my swollen belly, it makes a ripple wave. The Doc was not concerned~Go figure! He hasnt been concerned with anything~lol! ...He told me starting Friday (my 1 month mark) that I will have Zero Restrictions. He encouraged me to start working out. He told me to loose 5-7 lbs?! WTH?...I weight 130lbs...Anyways, I planned on doing that anyways but Geez, talk about Pressure. He wants to see me back in 6 weeks. Said my swollen belly is all normal. Still having pain and discomfort along the belly button area.